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THIS 200 YEAR OLD COUNTRY HOUSE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF BELLOC, a small village between Carcassone and Foix. It was recently remodeled to include a master bedroom and full bath upstairs. A comfortable guest bedroom is also located upstairs, sharing the master bath. Both bedrooms have amazing views of the Pyrenées Mountains. An additional double guest bedroom with en suite bathroom is located downstairs. The house features a large sitting room with fireplace connected to a spacious typical French country kitchen. A front terrace for alfresco dining offers dramatic vistas of the Pyrenées. Dark beamed ceilings and tile floors lend the house an elegant rustic ambiance.
The house is equipped with English language satellite television and a DVD library of classic movies as well as a CD player. The wireless router allows for internet access throughout the house and also provides worldwide free long distance phone service.
The 14 acre property sits on a hill overlooking a verdant valley and the Pyrenees Mountains. The property is serene and private and is located an hour south of Toulouse and 45 minutes west of Carcassonne. The area abounds with historical landmarks, museums, walking trails and châteaux.
Access to the area is easy and inexpensive due to the frequent flights into Toulouse, an international airport with connections from all over Europe. Carcassonne provides very inexpensive Ryan Air service from Stansted daily.
The house is located about 20 minutes from Mirepoix, an extraordinary Medieval village dating from the 13th century. The town has numerous restaurants in all price categories including the renowned RELAIS ROYAL, a Relais et Châteaux property with a tantalizing menu and wine list. This part of France, the Ariége, is famous for its cuisine, featuring cassoulet, duck and foie gras as well as its wines, including the Minervois and Corbiéres.
On the large central square in Mirepoix you can still admire the half-timbered houses supported on wood pillars, creating a magnificent covered arcade. The ends of the joists of the richest houses are sculpted, and the most beautiful sculptures are on the house of the Justice du Seigneur, which became in 1500 the Maison des Consuls, showing women's faces, bearded heads, a tortoise and other fantastical images.
The cathedral of St. Maurice has a single nave 48 m long, 24 m high, 22 m wide, a gothic gate and an elegant 60 m high pointed belltower. Of the cathedrals of Europe only that of Gerona in Spain has a wider nave. Inside, vandalism and demolitions destroyed many treasures but you can still admire a tabernacle, a Christ on the cross from the 14th century and seven paintings by Larivière-Vesontius.
This charming, peaceful little town is much appreciated because of its mild southern climate and easy access from the airports at Carcassonne and Toulouse.
Near Mirepoix you'll also want to visit:
- the church at Vals, carved out of stone by the Romans.
- the Château de Lagarde, built in the 14th century by the heirs of Guy de Lévis. At the apogee of its splendour it was nicknamed the "Le petit Versailles du Languedoc". Its magestic ruins hint at its glorious past.
- Camon, a small fortified village constructed around a Benedectine abbey that was founded by Charlemagne in 778.
-the "book town" Montolieu where you can find rare and unusual books of all kinds.
- The famous Cité of Carcassonne.
- Toulouse, "la ville rose", with its numerous restaurants, shops museums and churches.
- Foix with its extraordinary castle overlooking the entire region.
- The fortified village of Cordes-sur-Ciel, northeast of Toulouse.
- Albi with its famous cathedral and Toulouse-Lautrec museum. |
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